


Memento Mori

by MufuMufuSan



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Accidental Acquisition of Power, Angst and Humor, Big Brain Time y'all, Crimes & Criminals, Cults, Drama, Dubious Morality, Horror, I shall help create it, If i cannot find Minoru Tanaka content, Minoru Tanaka Deserved Better 2020, Paranoia, Plot Twists, Self-Indulgent, i WILL give Near and Minoru an interaction they deserve dammit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:28:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22569400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MufuMufuSan/pseuds/MufuMufuSan
Summary: When the Death Note reappears, Minoru has no choice but to change his plans.Ownership of a Death Note was a heavy burden to bear when one doesn't want it. Especially when it comes with a bored Shinigami, an equally bored detective, and morally dubious implications of inheriting the title of Kira.At least Minoru was good at solving riddles such as this.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 163





	Memento Mori

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: General. Short prologue, rushed writing.

Decisions, decisions.

Ryuk had to make one.

 _Well_ , Ryuk mused as he stared hungrily down at the earth. Minoru was walking home from school, headphones jammed into his ears and staring at nothing with a distant expression. He said not to bother him again, for Ryuk to show his face—

However.

Ryuk _really_ wanted apples, and entertainment.

(How would he get either if Minoru was dead? Minoru, the only one who offered even a _lick_ of entertainment and gave him apples since Light. Minoru, who had a potential _spark_ that could alight the world, even if just a fraction, since Light.)

His ever present grin widened and, without flourish, dropped the Death Note down to earth again.

It fell, and fell, and fell.

Right until—

-0-0-0-

_Wham!_

Just like two years ago, Minoru staggered as he felt something hit him in the head. He hissed underneath his breath at the shock and sting, even as the thing that hit him fell at his feet. The innocent and discreet looking notebook stared back up at him, even as he stared blankly down.

The memories of not even a month ago rushed him, and left him feeling—

Numb.

Mostly with shock. Which then turned into annoyance at the Shinigami who he had specifically ordered to not bother him again, and Minoru was tempted to leave the damn thing on the sidewalk. But the ramifications of that were far too wide and damaging, so Minoru hastily bent down and scooped it up, acting as it fell from his bag.

Why was it here? Why was it not with the United States of America’s president?

The notebook felt heavy in his bag as he hurried home. His mother was out a lot recently, celebrating with friends. Minoru didn’t mind, delighted that she had enough financial stability now to enjoy herself, and she always came back for dinner with extravagant ingredients for both of them to enjoy together. That being said, it currently also gave him enough freedom to throw his front door open with more force than necessary, chucking his shoes off near the entrance.

His annoyance grew into tight anger, balling in his chest and coiling underneath his skin. Minoru hurried to his room, slamming his door shut and throwing his bag off to the side after he yanked the Death Note from it.

“Ryuk!” Minoru snapped, and waited, staring at the ground for the Shinigami to appear. He waited a bit more. And then some more.

Waiting.

Waiting.

 _Waited_.

Was he not going to appear? Minoru gritted his teeth, and tried again. “ _Ryuk_ , show yourself,” he demanded to empty air. Once again, he waited, and no answer. Minoru huffed and chewed the inside of his cheek, tossing the damned thing onto his desk and collapsing into his chair.

Rubbing tiredly at his face, Minoru stared at the notebook.

It was only 3 weeks ago in which he had given up ownership. It should be in America about now, preferably hidden away because it was too much of a social liability for the USA to actually use it. Though Minoru was hardly concerned with that, because the world was able to live through Kira, he highly doubted another one arising would be too much trouble. Especially if L had already defeated Kira.

Minoru didn’t care; he’d be able to live out the rest of his days comfortably along with his mother, with the money ‘Kira’ gave them. As long as he wasn’t aware, and it didn’t particularly affect him, he didn’t really care.

But now—

Minoru sucked in a tight breath through his teeth, holding it for a second. He released it, along with the tension in his body. Ryuk had joked earlier about Minoru hating him; he didn’t, he just didn’t particularly care for the Shinigami. Who in their right mind _would_?

Now, though.

Minoru was starting to hate the Shinigami just a tiny bit.

Him getting the Death Note back was a puzzle that Minoru couldn’t solve, at least not accurately. With the pieces he had now, all he could do was make assumptions. And making assumptions while dealing with the Death Note could mean life or death.

He needed the Shinigami to come.

Minoru sighed and straightened, leaning forward to flip the Death Note open. A chill ran across his skin, raising the hair on the back of his neck. It was a cold ache that fluttered underneath his ribcage, ominous. It lasted only for a moment, and Minoru did his best to ignore it as he started at the beginning of the Death Note’s rules.

It had been a couple of years since he read them, so his memories were just a bit hazy. Perhaps there was a way to summon the Shinigami to him? If Ryuk wasn’t going to show himself willingly, then Minoru would have to take desperate action.

If he remembers correctly, there were a few rules concerning the Death god and the Owner of the notebook. Minoru chewed the inside of his cheek as he scanned through the rules, once again marveling at the extent of them all. He wonders if Kira had fun with these rules—no doubt he did, an elaborate game of chess for him to play with as he orchestrated mass genocide, and evading L.

Minoru wasn’t like that, he was more of a simple sort.

Engaging another in a battle of wit and wills was beyond unappealing for him. Minoru had accepted his lot in life at being only smart on a textbook level, a high number on a piece of paper. Actually applying it to real life?

Minoru felt exhausted just by the thought of it.

There were a few rules concerning the Shinigami. Sadly, none of them hardly useful that Minoru could utilize in getting that wayward Shinigami to him. As he finished reading the rules, Minoru idly wondered if he could gather a pile of Ryuk’s favorite apples and burn them in hopes of torturing the Shinigami, from wherever he was—

Was that a new rule?

Sitting up straight, Minoru read the rule very intently. Then he reread it, a low and rising panic churning his stomach, making incomprehension scramble his brain. There was a dim ringing in his ears as his eyes unfocused slightly, as the new rule finally squirmed and settled in his head with horrifying clarity:

 _A human who buys or sells the Death Note in the human world shall die. The seller will die when they receive the money, and the buyer will die when they receive the Death Note_.

It must be a new rule, because if that rule was in place before, Minoru would have never—die, he would die, was he going to die? If the Death Note was here, does that mean the president of the United States of America was _dead_? No, yes, no—Minoru felt his breath quicken, tightening in his chest and catching in his throat. His heart felt like it was going to rip itself out his chest, as if saving itself the effort before actually dying of whatever misfortune holding this Death Note will bring.

Minoru felt like he was going to be sick.

So lost in his thoughts, in his cold horror, Minoru didn’t notice a shadow growing from the floor in his room. Didn’t notice the chilling air, nor the intensifying dread roiling in the pit of his core. A cold sweat was starting to make his hair stick to his forehead as he sat in his seat, frozen.

He didn’t notice, until the shadow loomed over him and Minoru tilted his head up, and up. Ryuk’s unsettling grin loomed over him, the stretched mouth filled with teeth widening at his attention.

“I take it you read the new rule—”

Surrendering to basic human instinct, Minoru felt his panic and startlement _peak_. With an unholy shriek, Minoru threw the nearest thing he had upwards at the unnerving and _shitty_ cyrtid that finally fucking decided to show himself. In other words:

It was _almost_ satisfying to see the Death Note smack Ryuk right in his face.

**Author's Note:**

> I love the new Death Note One-shot with all my heart. So much so that I took a break from writing my other fics just to spit this out into the ether. I love Minoru Tanaka, and I feel robbed that we didn't get a Near and Tanaka interaction.
> 
> :'v I'm going to try my best.
> 
> Please R&R! Especially about Minoru, and how to characterize him! Because as much as I love him, I don't think I can do him enough justice on my own, lmao.


End file.
